Northey: wet weather could slow harvest

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey commented on the Iowa Crops and Weather weekly report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service.

“It was a busy week in farm fields across the state as 20 percent of the corn crop and 17 percent of soybeans were harvested,” Northey said. “Farmers worked long hours to make as much progress as possible since wet weather is forecast for the week ahead that could again slow harvest.”

Corn and soybean harvest advanced rapidly in Iowa during the week ending October 27, 2013, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. With soybean harvest now slightly ahead of normal, this marked the first time all season soybean progress was ahead of the 5-year average. Statewide there were 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork. Other activities for the week included fall tillage, as well as liquid manure and fertilizer applications. Snow fell in the northern part of the state, and a killing frost finally reached southern Iowa.